TL:DR – Simplicity wins.

IKEA instructions are famously wordless, and yet millions of people build furniture with them.

Why?

Because they are simple, visual, and step-by-step.

As Instructional Designers, we sometimes feel pressure to prove how much we know about our topic and audience. In doing so, we often make our learning unnecessarily complex and convoluted. But what our learners need is clarity, not complexity.

Clarity is better than clever.

Here are a few ways Instructional Designers can “IKEA-fy” training:

• Be Simple: Present one task per step and one step at a time. Remember the Learner’s Journey and lead them accordingly
• Be Visual: When possible, use visuals. Infographics are a great way to share information quickly and visually.
• Be Orderly: Your learners don’t need to know everything; they just need to know what’s next. This is why scope and sequences matter.

Learners shouldn’t have to decode our content. Simply put, good design gets out of the way.

Gamification Tip:

Clarity beats clever, especially when it comes to gamification.

When creating a learning game, especially if it is riffing on a known game, keep the rules simple.

For a board game, the rules should be roll the dice, move the piece, and do what the space says to do.

The less time a learner spends learning the rules, the more time they have to engage with the training.

Test your training by asking: Could someone complete this with no background knowledge and no extra explanation? If yes, you’re on the right track.

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The ID Department knows that simplicity wins. That’s why we can help you craft simple, clear, and effective training that allows you to achieve Fortune 500–level results for a fraction of the Fortune 500 budget. Learn how here.